


Parent-Teacher Conference

by Rhaized



Series: Adventures of Mary and Marisa [7]
Category: His Dark Materials (TV), His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, I just love these dynamics, I think I'm writing crackfics now, Lyra and all these mums, Marisa hates Lyra's teacher, Marisa is a mean girl, Marisa wants what she can't have, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Other mother figures, but they are also kinda sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:07:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28568982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhaized/pseuds/Rhaized
Summary: "So, Mrs. Parry, you're Lyra's legal guardian," the teacher confirmed."And you, Mrs. Coulter, are Lyra's mother?""And, Dr. Malone," the teacher continued, pausing just one moment longer on Marisa, "you are…?""Oh, I'm with her," said Mary, gesturing toward Marisa.—or—All of Lyra’s mums have a parent-teacher conference to learn more about Lyra’s transition to her new school in Will’s world. Though she tries to play nice, Marisa is most displeased about everything.
Relationships: Lyra Belacqua & Marisa Coulter, Marisa Coulter/Mary Malone
Series: Adventures of Mary and Marisa [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2073954
Comments: 22
Kudos: 65





	Parent-Teacher Conference

**Author's Note:**

> As with the story before this (New Phone, Who Dis?): In this AU, Lyra and Will are living with Will’s mom (who is better) and Lyra has a difficult yet somewhat-intact relationship with her mother—and by association, her mom’s cool, super amazing, fun, and warm-hearted girlfriend Mary. :)

"Thank you all for being here today," said Lyra's teacher. She was a short and stout middle-aged woman with sensible, shoulder-length hair of the most  _ unflattering _ black. It was quite obvious that she dyed it, due to its unnatural sheen and the gray hairs that peaked at the scalp. She probably did it herself, or else went to a stylist who wouldn't dare tell her how fake that color would turn out. Marisa smiled nonetheless, though, as she was only  _ just  _ allowed access to Lyra's educational information and she knew that she needed to behave herself. 

She was sitting beside both Mary and Will's mother, who looked  _ anything  _ but happy. A strange sort of tension filled the air and bounced between them, although mostly between Marisa and Mrs. Parry. The teacher simply stared as Marisa gazed at her coolly and calmly before clearing her throat and breaking the insufferable silence. "We're so glad to be here.Thank you for having us, Mrs. Carlson."

"Mrs. Kersten," the woman corrected. Marisa heard Mary groan but ignored her, simply tightening her smile as she stared directly into the teacher's unremarkably pale eyes. The other woman hesitated and then nodded her head slightly before glancing down at her papers. 

"I understand that Lyra's upbringing is a rather, uh…  _ unorthodox  _ arrangement."

"That's an understatement," Marisa laughed, but at a harsh look from Mary, whose right hand stabbed into Marisa's thigh, she bowed her head and folded her hands out in front of her, sparing a glance at her handbag where the golden monkey was hiding and absorbing every word. 

"So, Mrs. Parry, you're Lyra's legal guardian," the teacher confirmed. 

"That's right," she replied softly, although the golden monkey noticed how she was playing with her hands under the table. 

_ She's nervous,  _ the monkey drawled to her, peeking only just barely out from the corner opening of the bag. 

_ Intimidated,  _ Marisa added, fighting back a sneer as she turned her attention briefly to Mrs. Parry, who seemed to  _ very  _ pointedly ignore her while simultaneously shrinking away from her. She was a pretty enough woman, although her sweater was a bit gaudy. Marisa couldn't really criticize her, though, which made her frown. 

"And you, Mrs. Coulter, are Lyra's mother?" 

"I am," Marisa said proudly, lifting her head up and smiling as serenely as she could. She'd worn her very best skirt and matching blazer today, tinged with a flowy teal blouse and only a hint of golden jewelry. She looked perfect, naturally, and wanted to appear as such to make a good impression on this woman who played such an important part in Lyra's academic life at this moment. 

"And Dr. Malone," the teacher continued, pausing just one moment longer on Marisa, "you are…?"

"Oh, I'm with her," said Mary, gesturing toward Marisa. Her blazer was wrinkled, and too big, while her orange blouse clashed horridly with her hair. But she was so kind as she sat there, a shy little smile offering itself to that stuffy teacher. Her blue eyes exuded such warmth in a way Marisa's  _ never  _ could. 

At that Marisa made a great show of taking Mary's hands and holding them in hers, resting it casually (possessively) on her knee. She scooted her chair closer, too, so that their shoulders brushed. "We're a very happy family, providing a safe and nurturing home for Lyra."

"Who…lives with Mrs. Parry?" the teacher asked. Concern flecked her eyes now as she looked down at some documents in her file and then over at Marisa again. "And Lyra's father, a Mr. Asriel Bela—" 

"Is no longer in the picture." Marisa's smile was perfectly in place and only the golden monkey knew the rage that coursed through her veins at the mention of that man. To everyone else in the room, she didn't react. It was as if it were nothing. And, to be fair, it practically  _ was  _ nothing as that  _ failure  _ of a man hadn't even  _ bothered  _ to contact  _ any  _ of them after he—

"The thing about Lyra," the teacher was continuing, not quite sure where to look as her gaze flickered between all three of them, "is that she has some very serious gaps in her knowledge. She's quite behind for someone in the seventh grade."

"She was home-schooled," Marisa explained before anyone else could speak.  _ She  _ actually knew about Lyra's education, she realized, feeling her shoulders straighten as she lifted her chin. In that way Marisa was useful. She was knowledgeable. 

"By whom?" 

"Some retired academics, mostly, and then by me recently for a few months." 

"Did you…" the teacher hesitated, her mouth opening and then closing. Marisa tilted her head forward slightly, extending an invitation for her to continue. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Coulter. I don't mean to be rude—" (Marisa's eyes flashed) "—and I hope you don't take it as such, but…didn't you teach her  _ anything?"  _

Mrs. Kersten went on to explain how, really, Lyra knew hardly anything at all. She could read and write well enough, and her critical thinking skills were strong, but she struggled in most other areas. When it came to matters of the world and of mathematics and of literature and history and even basic  _ culture  _ like using technology and understanding social interactions, she was far, far behind. She was also rather impulsive and quick to get distracted, but most importantly she was performing extremely poorly in all of her classes to the point where she might not even belong in them. 

"Are you calling my daughter  _ stupid?" _ Marisa let out then. She couldn't help herself as she felt her pressure rising during these insidious attacks on Lyra's character. She wasn't from this  _ world  _ was all (although they couldn't share that particular detail, of course). That was a challenge for anyone, including even Marisa who just recently learned what a smartphone was _.  _ The girl most certainly wasn't dense. She was far cleverer than anyone gave her credit for—Marisa but  _ especially  _ Mrs. Kersten, who had the  _ audacity  _ to judge and to  _ label _ Lyra in the way she was doing. 

"Oh, no," Mrs. Kersten stuttered, but it was too late. The monkey whistled softly from his place in the handbag, for the damage was already done. 

"I'll have you know," Mrs. Coulter was fuming, leaning forward so suddenly that her golden necklace dangled wildly on her chest, "that I graduated top of my class at every single level and so did Lyra's father."

"No one is criticizing your intelligence, Mrs. Coul—" 

"And  _ Mary," _ Marisa continued, reaching out to pull Mary into her side, "has a  _ doctorate! _ We are highly and extremely educated people and I don't  _ ever _ want to hear you suggest otherwise."

"But she didn't, love," Mary choked from her side, her ribcage smashed uncomfortably into the chair. "Just calm down a bit." 

"She's had some trouble…adjusting, since the move," Mrs. Parry offered then. Mrs. Coulter whipped her head around to stare at her, aware of her neck growing warm. 

"Don't," Mary breathed, just low enough for Marisa to hear. Marisa ignored her. 

"What troubles?" Everyone balked as it was  _ Marisa  _ who asked, and who was on the edge of her seat glowering down at Mrs. Parry. 

"She gets frightened sometimes," she continued, looking not at Marisa but at Mrs. Kersten. "She's afraid to fail to the point where she thinks it might be better not to try at all."

"Why would she possibly do that?" Marisa wondered aloud. That was so sad, really, for Lyra to feel that way. She must have experienced something in her life where she never felt good enough, where everything she did seemed to fall short of someone else's expectations. Marisa caught herself glancing down at her bag again, wanting to conspire with her daemon more about this utter  _ nonsense  _ being spouted. 

"But she's determined," Mrs. Parry went on, and she smiled for the first time during the meeting. There was such warmth flecked in her voice and washed over her features as she talked about how Lyra never gave up on a challenge as they solved puzzles and played board games and did household chores. There was something resembling pride, too, and what seemed like genuine affection. 

"Lyra does… _ chores?"  _ Marisa breathed. 

"She's like that in the lab, too," Mary chuckled. "I bring her 'round sometimes after school, you see. She has a rather innate gift for understanding quantum physics."

"Really?" Both Marisa and Mrs. Kersten asked in unison. They locked eyes and Marisa twitched her nose before Mrs. Kersten looked away. 

"Oh, yeah! She helps me set up and I try and teach her some of it. Even when I have a bad day she asks me to teach her, because she wants to learn. And that kind of dedication is a rare one in the world."

Mary had never told Marisa these stories before. She knew that she picked up Lyra from school on certain days (alone, since Marisa wasn't  _ allowed),  _ but she didn't realize the extent to which Mary interacted with her. She didn't know what she thought the two did, really, but it certainly wasn't this.

"What the faculty have determined here is that Lyra needs what we're calling spot tutoring," Mrs. Kersten was saying. 

"Spot tutoring?" Mrs. Coulter repeated. Everything was happening so fast now and she realized, gradually, that it was getting away from her. 

"Tutoring in targeted parts of specific subjects where she struggles," Mrs. Kersren clarified, looking mostly at Mary and Mrs. Parry now. "In science, for example, she's fine, but we  _ have  _ to help her realize how the geography of the earth works. She told off another student the other day when they'd insisted the world was round instead of flat."

"I can help her with that," Mrs. Parry said. "I was good at history and geography in school."

"Math is basically my second language," Mary offered. 

"And my son Will excels at literature and art. He's also a year ahead and learned it all recently, too."

And so it went on for a few more minutes until final pleasantries were being exchanged and chair legs were scuffing across the tile and the three of them were heading out of the office, Mrs. Parry going one way and Mary and Marisa going another. 

"That didn't turn out so bad at the end, now did it?" Mary asked, moving to link her arm with Marisa's as they walked across the parking lot. 

Marisa didn't know what to say, really. It was bad. Actually, yes, it was bad for everyone in that room except  _ her  _ to understand what Lyra needed in her education and to actually be able to see her and help her. While Lyra had accepted phone calls from Marisa and they were working their way to maybe exchange emails, in-person visits were still out of the question. 

Oh, how it tore the fibers of Marisa's heart not to be able to help Lyra in the ways that she needed! Marisa would sit with her and study with her if she just gave her the chance; she'd drop everything and anything just to be able to see her, hold her. Marisa would. She really would. And she'd do it _better_ than any of these other people could. 

It wasn't meant to be at this time, though, Marisa supposed, giving Mary a distracted nod as they headed into the car and talked about where they wanted to go get dinner. The monkey jumped out of the bag and hopped into his little booster seat, waiting patiently as Mary reached over to buckle him in—her hand brushing his fur and making Marisa shudder. 

She was still getting used to all these feelings, and to a world where she could exist as Lyra's mother but in many ways  _ not  _ be Lyra's mother. It was hard. No one had said it would ever be easy. And it was better than what they'd had before, Marisa supposed, and it felt more feasible with Mary by her side. 

Everything did, really, Marisa realized with a smile. The woman was blabbing now about some new article she'd read earlier in the day as they pulled out onto the road. She was excited. She was thoughtful. She was the definition of the word comfort. 

With Mary, Marisa felt not quite as alone and just a little more fulfilled in this strange, unexpected new life of hers.

**Author's Note:**

> My gosh, I just love these dynamics so (too) much :D Thanks for reading!


End file.
